William J. HoranUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER
William's Story

William joined Watsi on October 17th, 2019. Three years ago, William joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. William's most recent donation supported Victoria, a 3-year-old girl from Kenya, to fund hydrocephalus treatment surgery and improve her quality of life.

Impact

William has funded healthcare for 41 patients in 9 countries.

Patients funded by William

Victoria is a three-year-old girl from Kenya. Victoria is a cheerful, playful girl, who has been raised by her aunties. When she reached walking age, she could not walk. This prompted her family to seek medical attention at a public hospital near their hometown. They were referred to the Provincial General Hospital in Nakuru County, Kenya. Several tests were done, but financial constraints prevented them from returning for the test results. Victoria's medical treatment was further delayed when a relative who was actively supporting and raising her became ill, and all available finances were directed toward their treatment. Recently, Victoria's guardian, who was visiting her grandmother, was advised to seek medical care at BethanyKids. Victoria has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Victoria has been experiencing a visibly enlarged head size. Without treatment, Victoria will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery for Victoria that will treat her hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on March 8th and will drain the excess fluid from Victoria's brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Victoria will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Victoria’s aunty says, “This kid is active but unable to support herself because of the condition. She needs this treatment to be able to lead a normal life.”

$720raised
Fully funded

Emily is a newborn baby from Kenya. She is the third born in a family of three children. Her mother is a stay-at-home mum to help raise their kids and their family relies on their father's to provide for their needs. Her father does small-scale farming and other casual jobs like ploughing farms for people. Emily has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Emily has been experiencing an increasing head circumference since she was two months old. Her parents thought it would stop and she would grow healthier, but it did not. Her parents took Emily to a hospital in Narok town where she was examined and immediately referred to Bethanykids hospital's specialist team for treatment. On arrival, she was examined, diagnosed with hydrocephalus and sent for a scan. The family did not have money to cater for the CT scan and opted to go back home and have the scan done when they got money. Luckily, a neighbor lent them money for the CT scan, which was done, and they were able to bring back the results. She is now scheduled for surgery as soon as possible to protect her brain from being damaged by the excess fluid in the head. Without treatment, Emily will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Her family does not have medical insurance coverage and cannot raise the required amount of money to cater for the hospital bill. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery for Emily that will treat her hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on November 2nd and will drain the excess fluid from Emily's brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Emily will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Emily’s father says, “I always try to see things from a positive side, and I know that God will avail the required healing for our daughter.”

$720raised
Fully funded

34-year-old Beatrice lives with her husband and four children in Malawi. Beatrice uses the income from the saloon that she owns to take care of the needs of her children. Her husband, who is a businessman, uses his income to take care of their home, a three-bedroom house that has neither running water nor electricity. In 2020, some of Beatrice's friends noticed a swelling in her neck. Beatrice- who was pregnant at the time- went to the hospital to be evaluated. She was told that the swelling might be related to her pregnancy and that she should come back after giving birth if the swelling hadn't subsided. The swelling continued to grow; ultimately, Beatrice was diagnosed with a goiter- a swelling of the thyroid gland- and told that she would need to have her thyroid surgically removed. Beatrice's surgery continued to be postponed, but her symptoms of breathlessness and coughing- which often kept her from going to work- continued to worsen. Finally, her sister suggested that she visit Partners in Hope Medical Center, where doctors scheduled her for surgery on January 31st. As Beatrice is unable to cover the costs of her treatment, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $1,015 to fund Beatrice's thyroidectomy. Beatrice believes the removal of her thyroid will help her to return to her home in Blantyre, and to rejoin her family in good health. She believes her children are the reason why she lives, and she knows that she has to be healthy in order to continue supporting them. Beatrice said: “I am looking forward to getting back to normal.”

$1,015raised
Fully funded